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O LIVE P RESS
A PETRIFIED expat has been waiting for four months to have an answer from Torrevieja Hospital about whether or not she has breast cancer. Karen Moon, 66, has been left horrified after hearing the continual horror stories emerging from patients. “I am feeling very emotional and worried. And it is affecting my mental health,” said the retired school teacher, this week. She added: “The situation has also affected my relationship with my husband.” The Olive Press has already investigated the malfunctioning public hospital three times over the last two years. Most recently in July (below) we splashed on the appalling levels of care after securing exclusive interviews with a number of angry doctors. One of them ended up resigning after many years of service over the debacle. Our journalists have tried for months to contact hospital bosses for a response but we have not been able to speak with anyone. Karen Moon’s own personal nightmare O LIVSES PRE started when ! S E L B she visited SHAM on May 23, to take a mammogram to disA
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Issue 69
FAR BENIJO - A HOME ME FROM HO SEE OUR
HISTORIC CORE: Benijofar has its roots in Arabic times for and is famed its citric fruits
Murcia ESTLED between Benijofar and and Elche, are known Cuidad Quesada and golf groves for their orange well as fantastic courses, as covet-beaches withstatus. ed blue flag to Handily close the A7 motorway, of and the airports MurAlicante and cia just 30 minutes also away, they great count on a and range of shops restaurants. being As well as
N
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PULLOU
and shopping Algorfa - with blossoms, beaches, marmentera del Segura, land of orange Zoco Sunday of Guardamar its well-known San Fulgencio, and The promisedtheir own lar tourist resorts and and Torrevieja, ket, Almoradi, with self-contained and Ciudad popuamenities, Benijofar close to the Quesada are
del Segura of Rojales, Forthe expat towns
an Heredera. visitors have Residents and of places to go, endless choice do. and things to 5,000 inhabitants, strongWith around Benijofar is a and hold for British Northern European as expats, as well on vathose coming cation. of perAbout 60% residents manent hail from Northern Continues overleaf
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ca a Blan s at Cost IVE: Crisi quit in their EXCLUS as doctors wait ‘up to 60 hospitaland patients drovesfor a bed’ i Trelinsk By Alex Hinojosa hours most Jorge
& Costa Blanca’s S at the have slammed the director DOCTORred hospital conditions and I think beleague working into action. of care. that delays put last autumn the appalling heated ul levels to calm should resign.” got so disgracef the Olive Press called in were frequent at Matters had to be who waited for They told 18 HOURS that police patients see a doctor of UP TO just to down angry . for patients to be seen. and Emer(top), while ja Hospital func- hours ent in Torrevie ile, the Accident Peris Giner ent was managem rows. Doctor Meanwh departm‘a 50% staffing to public Kidnappedlast month claims want action Ribreturned years of political three gency (A&E) g point’ Peris run by after the tal with around es ‘just so shocked Press reported Manuel tioning with sometim October, ly the hospital,had regularly ‘50% of l ‘at breakin father, family was The Olive Doctor on around is causing level’, kidt of their AL: Hospita ) and lists and of affairs, how a Swedish since 2006, his Previous treatmen , 80, they took SCAND Dolon (middle was working and this doctors’.an alarming state of medics era Salud in ‘best hospital’ n among at the medical Svenssonthe ward and Mayor ago staff needed’ depressioin a worse serAnd in reveal that dozens s where appeared s awards. and other er. Bo-Eskil from as 15 years in him stress and as doctors to wait changeov we can won numerou over condition , resulting alarmingbest hospitals napped autumn ahead of the nt was backed to Sweden. we have cones forced members the have resigned “It is really Eduardo g conwork 24-hour patients. him homelast two years are sometim for a bed. one of staff quit indictme doctor Jose have to eight days a vice for patients 60 HOURS Peris Giner, it was Torrevieja mayor boss, damning Over the highlighted worsenin left “Most doctors a break, the law. spi- His by local union Olive Press. for UP TOcy doctor, Jose Spain,” told the tinually at the hospital. docwithout things up told the a lot of doctors hours to rmed Peris. last month, had beEmergen d shifts which is against not enough ditions Peris confi of excellent of Dolon up to 18 fact that 2020 when position month, told Manuel are simplywho are employe who resigned “It is a can waitthe low number promises it changed that his ally from Doctor Olive s when “A patient Salud wasto the “There likely.” the ones he told the e. Olive Press over broken and with ralled dramatic work under ent,” added condition tors and ed,” firm Riviera be seen mistakes are more I could chiefs managem come untenabl said the were havingn working private be losing its contract believe 2022. hospital are overwork instants any longer,” “I didn’t from private his members would government in promised insistedoffice, nor local but they to depressio at the hosare doctors, it s who due added Press. condition n taking doctors He days condition such Dolon, briefed his who worked to breakwhen ValenciaValencian officials “They hirethe working take sick and were also improve “It has got nt. senior medic, ent to “While would far from realin neither 15 years. ly quit as enough.” early retireme pital for media. that’s A&E departm good the hospital you receive the Valencia that the While Ministry says ng not took over, ing point.” d: “When waiting for tment , Mithat staffithe He added been really dif- theyPeris added. waiting Inves Health He continue in Minister A&E ty,” is who has it point he explained averagehave fallen by a patient eight hours, hip with ’s new Health heavy investIndeed, to a crisis was Valencia , claims a relations of staff to times more than the plan issues came develop increase just 1,043 guel Minguez 15% sinceed in June, ficult to led to an d to was never ment has compare introduc rubbished the them. ing promised people, contract ended. for 1,793 unions “Everyth l requests are ts over when Ribera’scontinua claim. patients c complain Press Yet, despite backed They insist Olive one on specifi being no answers six weeks, The simply A&E corridors ed with the last totally rebuff from the hosup in ion rooms has been for comment nt. or observat of ‘up to availableregional goverme with delays for a hospital pital or Page 6 60 hours’ Opinion bed. g to medicals Accordin the problem unions the hospibegan when
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PLEAS: Protestors disrobe to protect virgin Cala Mosca A CAMPAIGNING mayor is making a desperate last stand to save her town’s final area of unspoilt coastline. The Orihuela leader is organising a crucial meeting with all ‘interested parties’ to stop the controversial Cala Mosca development. Carolina Gracia believes there is hope to prevent the construction of 2,274 homes on the last stretch of virgin coast in Orihue-
Mayor launches last ditch battle to save final stretch of virgin coastline from mega-project la Costa. The PSOE boss is demanding all political parties and the regional authorities sit down with developers Gomendio, to find a solution, before the first bricks are laid. Part of her electoral promise to oust previous PP mayor, Emilion Bascunana, a year ago, was to oppose the mega-project. Her coalition partners from
By Alex Trelinski
the local Cambiemos party regard any development as a crucial red line and have threatened to withdraw support if the project is not scrapped. Gracia insists all parties must come to an agreement for the ‘common good (of the area) with respect for the environment and the rights
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21/6/19
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EXCLUSIVE: British expat ‘devastated’ after waiting four months for breast cancer results at Torrevieja hospital
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of everybody involved’. “Perhaps Orihuela has room to build thousands of new homes, but it does not have to be, and hopefully will not be, on the last virgin kilometres of our coastline,” she said this week. Among options to be studied for the UE2 Alameda del Mar project is a swap deal for other land in the municipality. “If the construction company is willing to look for any other location, then it will be studied carefully,” explained Gracia. The project was first included in Orihuela’s PGOU General town plan over 30 years ago and has been a continual hot potato. After it was provisionally approved in 2007, opposition was quickly formed by
local environmentalists and residents to oppose it A protest group, Salvemos Cala Mosca, has organised a national petition and various protests, the last in March this year. Another group, the Spanish Naturist Federation (FEM) organised a nudist protest in May. One protester, Beatriz Vidal Martinez, said: “There are so many other areas to develop. This is just about financial gain.”
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However, their opposition didn’t stop a final hurdle being passed by a Valencian government environment impact study report in July. While it was largely approved, a ‘protected’ area of 40,000 square metres will have to be maintained near fragile Cala Mosca itself. The report noted that it has at least two endangered species, the Cat Head plant (Tribulus Terrestris) and the Tudorella Sulcata snail. Former mayor Emilio Bascuñana, of the PP party, voted to approve the project a year ago.
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